(DBS)
Tracey Bowers leads the team of
detectives from their office in Imjin
Barracks. Below left – a fragment of
uniform that may provide a vital clue as
to the identity of a ‘missing soldier’.
On the case
Meet the MOD ‘War Detectives’ piecing together fragments
of evidence to honour our heroes
It is an ordinary office cupboard full of
extraordinary items – tiny fragments of
precious evidence stored in Tupperware
containers. Scraps of uniform, regimental
badges and buttons, and other small
personal items, each one representing an
individual soldier’s life.
These items should be in a museum,
and some of them will end up there one
day. Discovered alongside the remains
of ‘missing’ soldiers, for now, they are
important clues as to the identity of their
original owner.
“I still think there’s a satisfaction in
burying them with dignity and respect for
what they’ve done for our country.”
SEARCH TEAM
The JCCC are called in whenever
human remains are found on a former
battlefield, perhaps uncovered by a
farmer or construction company or metal
detectorists.
The pinboard map on the wall reveals
dozens of open cases. They are
predominantly in France and Belgium on
the bloody battlefields of the Western
Front, but include the odd example
in Italy and a few more unexpected
locations in the Far East.
Tracey explains: “We’ll get a report
from the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission with the location and how
much of the casualty survives, and it
will list the artefacts that are found and
whether they were on, with or near the
casualty.”
the imjin met the incredible team of
experts, from the MOD’s Joint Casualty
and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) based
at Imjin Barracks, who dedicate months
of painstaking research to identifying the
soldiers from these scant remains.
Tracey Bowers, JCCC’s Commemorations
Team Leader, explains: “There’s over half
a million still missing from the First and
Second World War with no known graves.
The ultimate satisfaction is being able
to put a name to them, but we have to
be realistic and know that it’s not always
going to be possible.”
14
AUTUMN 2019 the imjin
The team’s detective work then really
begins, and often involves trawling
through unit war diaries to help identify
the individual. If DNA is found they can
research their genealogy, which can
trigger a separate process involving
distant relatives who may not even be
aware there was a missing soldier in their
family history.
They may finally then be in a position to
organise the re-dedication ceremonies –
and provide the soldiers and airmen with
the burial with full military honours that
history has cheated them of.
Case worker, Rosie Barron adds: “There’s
something satisfying when you are
stood at the Menin Gate (memorial to the
missing in Belgian Flanders) and you think,
we’ve found him and we’ve found him.
“Obviously, we’ve got a long way to go, but
it is very satisfying.”
MOD Defence Business Services
At Imjin Barracks, the DBS ‘Military Personnel’ pillar provides services
through the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) and the
MOD Medal Office, supporting military personnel and their families,
veterans, and entitled civilian personnel.
Further information on DBS services can be found on the GOV.UK
website, or intranet for service personnel.
@MODDBS